www.maderatribune.comServing the Heart of California since 1892http://www.maderatribune.com/node/5642/atom.xml2015-08-02T20:59:30+00:00http://www.maderatribune.com/news/politicians-ask-delay-forest-changes2013-06-23T06:29:27+00:002013-06-24T06:29:48+00:00Politicians ask for delay on forest changeswebmaster

Several local and national politicians sent letters this week asking federal officials for more time to discuss changes to federal policy they perceive could restrict two million acres of California forest land.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that the huge swath of land across 14 counties — including Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Mariposa — be designated as “critical habitat” for three endangered or threatened frog and toad species.

The service says those species — the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog, the Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog, and the Yosemite Toad — will die out if human impacts are not mitigated.

Jan Knight, deputy field supervisor for the Sacramento office of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the federal government isn’t trying to restrict land use, despite the contrary claims of some...